Tyronne Fernando passed away (update)

Tyrone Fernando has served the country as Foreign Minister, Minister of Law Reforms and Media Minister.Sunil C. Perera in Colombo

Colombo, 26 February, (Asiantribune.com): Tyronne Fernando [67], Ambassador designate for France and a senior Advisor to President Mahinda Rajapakse, passed away at a private hospital in Colombo this morning.

The Oxford educated, former senior Parliamentarian has held several ministerial posts in the past. He served as Foreign Minister in the United National Front Government briefly led by Ranil Wickremasinghe. During his tenure as country’s Foreign Minister, he had also announced his candidature for the post of UN Secretary-General.

Fernando, has served the country as Foreign Minister, Minister of Law Reforms and Media Minister. After 27 years of uninterrupted election as an UNP MP, he was at the 2004 Election included in the National List, but kept out of Parliament due to what he called an "arbitrary and undemocratic" decision of the UNP Leader.

Mr. Fernando then said that it had much to do with his having always advocated a Government of National Reconciliation to solve the ethnic crisis.

Fernando is a MA of Oxford University (where he was the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club), a Barrister-at-Law of Gray's Inn and President's Counsel and was Cricket Board President during the critical years 1991 to 1994. He is also the author of several books including one on the ethnic crisis 100 days in 87.

As President of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in the early nineties, he built up a team, which won the World Cup in 1996. He is an author of eight books, journalist, cricketer, film producer and an expert on international relations (who has attended numerous international conferences and meetings.